There is a lot of hype surrounding eLearning, but all this has done is create unnecessary confusion. For this reason, you may be wondering what eLearning really is. Simply stated, this is the delivery of learning material through electronic media that includes the Internet, intranet, extranet, a satellite broadcast, audio/video tapes, interactive TV, online tutoring and CD-ROMs.
You may be wondering just how this is different than distance learning. Basically, distance learning includes text-based learning and courses that are conducted via written correspondence. This is different from eLearning, which is synonymous with technology-based learning. Of course, it is important to understand that the terms eLearning, technology-based learning and web-based learning are used interchangeably as well.
eLearning’s roots are based upon traditional instructor-led training and computer-based training. As such, it really is geared towards the future. It will continue to evolve over the course of time in order to be able to create new training options. Some of the benefits of this form of learning include:
1. Anyone can learn anything, at any time and in any place thanks to the Internet. In a few years this will become even more true because technical obstacles, such as access, standards, infrastructure and bandwidth will no longer be an issue. At that time the growth of the World Wide Web, high-capacity corporate networks and high-speed desktop computers will make learning available to people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week around the globe.
2. You will be able to save a lot of money because there will not be any travel expenses involved. This will allow you to use your time more efficiently since you will not need to fight traffic to get to a class.
3. You will find that eLearning is very flexible. The information that you need can be learned and retained whenever you want from wherever you want. This is because it is also a lot less stressful to learn in this way.
4. With eLearning instructors are able to easily and instantaneously update lessons and materials, which means that the content will be fresh and current. Plus this allows for information to be retrieved whenever it is required, instead of learning it ahead of time and then being quickly forgotten.
5. This form of personalized learning also allows for higher retention rates because there is room for each individual’s learning style. As such, students can better understand the material and thus learn faster.
6. eLearning is also very stimulating because it encourages more critical reasoning than a large, traditional class allows for. This will thus draw you into the subject matter more because of the discussions that take place.
With all of these great advantages to eLearning, you will find it is hard to understand why anyone would want to sit in a lecture to learn new information whenever they have the option not to. Today there are many free online classes available. There are also some great tutors available at TeachOrTutor.com that can help you whenever necessary. So, go ahead and take advantage of all the great offerings that are available at your fingertips.
